1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the human cardiovascular system, and more particularly to method and apparatus for enhancing blood flow through, or around, partially clogged coronary and other small arteries of the cardiovascular system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cardiovascular disease kills one out of two Americans. Conventional treatment tends to rely on suppressing symptoms with drugs or invasive procedures including balloon angioplasty and bypass surgery. Fortunately it is often possible to prevent, or even partially reverse, cardiovascular disease by changing one's lifestyle. For instance, avoiding smoking and following a low fat diet emphasizing fresh, whole fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains, skinless chicken, poached fish, and the like, coupled with a reasonable exercise program, can be very helpful in this regard. In addition, there is ample evidence that the addition of nutritional supplements such as antioxidant vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene, B-complex vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, Coenzyme Q10, L-carnitine, magnesium, DHEA and one mini-aspirin per day can help in avoiding heart attacks and in building healthy heart function.
Often, however, either because such a change in lifestyle is made too late, or simply for reasons of heredity, a comprehensive program such as outlined above may not be totally effective in reversing symptoms such as chronic angina pectoris. For those individuals who reject the conventional treatments with drugs and invasive procedures, a relatively old (e.g., dating from the 1950's) therapy known as EDTA chelation therapy is available from a handful of physicians. In spite of consistent opposition from orthodox medical circles, close to 500,000 patients have successfully undergone this therapy for cardiovascular disease.
More recently, a totally non-invasive procedure known as Enhanced External Counterpulsation (hereinafter EECP) has become available in the United States. During EECP treatments a patient lies in a prone position wearing a series of pressure cuffs around his or her calves, lower thighs and upper thighs. Then a pressure source inflates and deflates these cuffs in a sequential manner that forces blood from the legs toward the torso of the patient. The progressive inflation and deflation is electronically synchronized with the patients heartbeat via an electrocardiographic signal so that a wave of somewhat increased blood pressure arrives at the heart during diastole (e.g., when the heart is relaxing). As described in a pamphlet entitled "EECP Treatment" available from Vascomedical Inc. of Westbury, N.Y., it is believed that this may enhance "collateral circulation" of blood around blocked or narrowed arteries by opening up, or forming, tiny branches of nearby vessels. A course of EECP treatment normally comprises a series of thirty-five (35) one-hour sessions over a nominal period of seven (7) weeks.
Currently, EECP is a very exciting development. However, it also has not yet become an "orthodox" procedure and is presently available at only about forty (40) sites in the United States. Notably however, these include such prestigious sites as both medical schools of the University of California (e.g., UCSF and UCSD), New York's University Medical Center, Stoney Brook and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, so perhaps there is hope. On the other hand, EECP equipment is complex and its use involves electrocardiographic connection, so it must be performed under close technical and medical supervision. For these reasons, it is an expensive procedure (although it is not nearly as expensive as either of the orthodox alternatives of angioplasty or bypass surgery). Further, although it is generally performed on an out-patient basis, the fact that there are presently only forty EECP sites in the United States makes it an inconvenient choice for the overwhelming majority of Americans. It is the general object of this invention to present an alternative method and apparatus for similarly enhancing cardiovascular activity and health that is inherently even more economical and ultimately operable by the patient, without supervision, in his, or her, own home environment.